Google Maps: Here are 4 updates users need to know about

Google Maps has long been the go-to for most people’s navigational needs and it has always pushed the limits of what maps can do and offer their users. The four new updates offer further breakthroughs with Immersive View, Neighbourhood Vibe, Search with Live View and Eco friendly routing.

Immersive View

This feature is designed to give you an idea of how a city looks and feels before you visit it. TechCrunch reports,

Immersive view leverages a combination of computer vision and AI technology to fuse together Street view and aerial imagery with what the weather, traffic and crowds will be like on a given day and time. The feature allows users to explore by visually soaring over an area to see what it may look like.

This includes over 250 photorealistic aerial views of global landmarks that span everything from the Tokyo Tower to the Acropolis.

Search with Live View

This new way of searching allows you to lift your phone and find things more intuitively in the area, such as ATMs, cafes, grocery stores and petrol stations - all through Live View. This will be rolling out in London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Tokyo in the coming months on Android and iOS

Neighbourhood Vibe

This exciting feature is all about what’s trendy and vibing in your area. It will show if the neighbourhood has an interesting art scene, edgy food markets or any local hidden gems. Google’s The Keyword reports,

To determine the vibe of a neighbourhood, we combine AI with local knowledge from Google Maps users who add more than 20 million contributions to the map each day — including reviews, photos and videos

Eco friendly

Google have also made the app more green by allowing users to find the most fuel-friendly routes, using insights from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory and data from the European Environment Agency. This has made a big impact on carbon emissions, according to The Keyword,

Since launching in the U.S. and Canada, eco-friendly routing has helped remove an estimated half a million metric tons of carbon emissions — the equivalent of taking 100,000 fuel-based cars off the road.

Further aspects of this will mean users will be able to choose various ride-sharing options, measure fuel consumption and generally get a more accurate assessment of their impact on the environment and sustainability.

Sources used:

-The Keyword: '4 new updates that make Maps look and feel more like the real world'

-TechCrunch: 'Here are all of the new features and updates coming to Google Maps'

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